"Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. Understood? Then let's begin." Imagine the movie Groundhog Day as a riveting page-turner of a murder mystery. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins anew, Aiden wakes up in a deteriorating manor house, as a different person, and must work out who he is and how he relates to everyone else at the party commemorating the long ago death of a child. If he can't solve the murder that occurs at the party, he is doomed to continue the loop every eight days. The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will …
"Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. Understood? Then let's begin." Imagine the movie Groundhog Day as a riveting page-turner of a murder mystery. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins anew, Aiden wakes up in a deteriorating manor house, as a different person, and must work out who he is and how he relates to everyone else at the party commemorating the long ago death of a child. If he can't solve the murder that occurs at the party, he is doomed to continue the loop every eight days. The most inventive debut of the year twists together a mystery of such unexpected creativity it will leave readers guessing until the very last page.
This book has a very fun concept but is doing WAY too much. Too many characters, too many moving pieces, too much action, too much fatphobia, and too much of the author’s “style.” I pushed through hoping for a reveal / payoff… but it fell flat. I wish I hadn’t read this.
4½ stars.
Really good whodunit and an interesting take in the "repeat the same day over and over" trope. If you have played The Sexy Brutale you'll know what to expect.
Why then did I discounted ½ a star? Three main reasons.
First, because the author presented the book as a 1920's-1930's weekend-murder-on-an-English-mannor type of detective story, but the language used it's not quite there (it bothers me and jars me out of the suspension of disbelief. I'm funny that way). Nevertheless, at about chapter 6, I got used to it and enjoyed the rest of the book.
Second, as my sister said when she was almost finishing the book: 'Good twist in the plot, but now he (the author) is just wallowing in his own cleverness'. And she was right. There really are times when too much of a good thing is just too much (You'll know …
4½ stars.
Really good whodunit and an interesting take in the "repeat the same day over and over" trope. If you have played The Sexy Brutale you'll know what to expect.
Why then did I discounted ½ a star? Three main reasons.
First, because the author presented the book as a 1920's-1930's weekend-murder-on-an-English-mannor type of detective story, but the language used it's not quite there (it bothers me and jars me out of the suspension of disbelief. I'm funny that way). Nevertheless, at about chapter 6, I got used to it and enjoyed the rest of the book.
Second, as my sister said when she was almost finishing the book: 'Good twist in the plot, but now he (the author) is just wallowing in his own cleverness'. And she was right. There really are times when too much of a good thing is just too much (You'll know what I mean).
And third, this kind of whodunit must be perfectly executed, no plot holes should be visible, all loose ends should be tied with beautiful ribbons (or really strong knots), and sadly, this one is not perfect. Very close, but no.
Notwithstanding this is a very enjoyable book. I really recommend it! (and if you knew me, you'd know I generally tend to do the contrary, so that's plenty!).
Den Hype um diesen Roman kann ich nicht vollständig nachvollziehen. Der Grund, weshalb der Protagonist in der Zeitschleife gegangen ist, war selbst in diesem Universum total an den Haaren herbeigezogen.
Kann man mal lesen, muss man aber nicht.
Allerdings noch ein kleines Shoutout an den Sprecher des englischen Hörbuchs. Super Performance!
Damn, I genuinely did not mean to stay up til 2:30 AM to finish this book but I just reached a point where I couldn't stop. I'm reeling.
I know everyone is raving about this book bit I think it is a too much.
It is like a triple hamburger with all the toppings, it might look amazing but once you're done you'll feel terrible.
This book is a tour de force, layer of layer on a mystery novel, but for me (this might be personal) the fun in a murder mystery is speculating about "whodonit" but this book is so complex there is no guessing or thinking along. Weird stuff is pulled out of weird hats all the time and only a few hints along the way reveal subplots the real deal is unguessable eve of after the twist about 75% in.
